Brothers' Trust
by Songbird15
Summary: Siblings share a special bond that no others know. This story is about two bothers changing from mortal enamies to best friends as they fight together so the younger of the two may fulfill his promise to a beautiful queen.


Siblings share a special bond that no others know. This story is about two bothers changing from mortal enamies to best friends as they fight together so the younger of the two may fulfill his promise to a beautiful queen.  
  
I wrote this because I wanted to explain why it took Zidane so long to finally return to Garnet. It begins at the end of the game and continues from there as Zidane tells Garnet about the adventure that kept him from her for two long years, and about the person who saved his life.  
  
It was originally supposed to focus on Zidane and Garnet's love for eachother, and still does, but it has more to do with the relationship between Zidane and Kuja.  
  
BrOtHeRs' TrUsT  
  
"How did you survive...?"  
  
"I didn't have a choice. I had to live. I wanted to come home to you, so... I sang your song."  
  
"Our song."  
  
Zidane smiled and embraced her tighter. "Our song, then."  
  
Garnet, over her initial shock of seeing her long lost love again, realized how puplic they were, still standing on the stage in front of the audience. Zidane guessed what she was worrying about and led her backstage and out of the theater ship.  
  
"Come with me." Garnet said quietly. They slipped around behind the audience and Zidane followed her to the Resting Place. The same spot where he had found her after she had recovered from being mute, during their adventure together. Also where she had cut her hair, which he noticed was now grown out again like it had been when they first met.  
  
Garnet stopped and turned back to look at him, taking in his features as if to memorize every detail, her brown eyes still wet with tears.  
  
Zidane silently embraced her again. There was so much to say, but neither of them knew where to start.  
  
Garnet tried her best not to start sobbing again, but to no avail. She just let him hold her, crying desperately for all the sorrow she'd lived through while he was gone, and all the joy of finally being reunited with him, knowing he was alive and well, and that he still cared for her. "Zidane..."  
  
"Shhh, I know, Garnet. I'm so sorry..." He whispered.  
  
"Two years, Zidane... Why did you leave me for so long?"  
  
A sharp pang of guilt made the genome's heart hurt. "Can you forgive me?"  
  
"I thought you were dead... I went on without you, but I was so alone..." She paused to take in a shaking breath. She considered herself a strong queen, and didn't want to say that Zidane was her whole life, but that was how she felt right now. She had fallen in love with him while they were together, only to lose him for two long years that seemed like centuries because he had chosen to turn back and rescue their dying enemy. "Tell me why."  
  
Zidane coaxed her to sit down against the wall that ringed the Resting Place, keeping one arm around her. "It started when I went back to the Iifa Tree to save Kuja... "He began. "I found him dying inside the tree. He changed, Garnet. He wasn't really such a bad person after all. When I found him, he told me that he finally understood what life is... I was gonna try to get him out of there, but then the whole place was smashed by those crazy roots...  
  
oxxxI====== FlashBack  
  
Zidane's sapphire eyes fluttered open, and the first thing he noticed was the pain. His entire body was in agony. Well, at least this proved that his back wasn't broken. He bit his lip, wondering if that really was a good thing or not. He had more important things to worry about, though. Like how he'd get out of here, and how he'd survive when and if he did. Another thought also crossed his mind. Dagger. He had promised that he would come back to her. Well, that settled everything. He'd survive no matter what.  
  
He slowly raised himself up on his elbows, supressing a yelp of pain. Teeth clenched, he pushed himself into a sitting position, groping for the wall with his right hand. He couldn't move his left arm. He took a deep breath and tried to stand up, using the wall as support. He managed to get on his feet, leaning heavily against the 'wall', which he now noticed was actually a root.  
  
He tried to make out his surroundings in the dark. There were a few holes in the tree, letting faint light in, and the root he was leaning on led up to where he and Kuja had been before he was knocked unconcious. He saw how the animated roots had slammed into the spot from nearly all sides. He must have been knocked down by them. Good thing he hadn't simply been smashed instead.  
  
He made a quick assessment of his injuries. A broken arm, bruised and probably broken ribs, deep cuts all over his body. Oh, wonderful... He thought sarcastically. Hello hell.  
  
He began to climb, or drag himself up the root, using his tail to help in place of the broken arm. He got up to the place where Kuja had been, and continued up the roots that had nearly killed him. It was slow, not to mention painful work, and he slipped several times, almost falling.  
  
After what was definately way too long to have to strain himself like this, he emerged into the sunset. The roots had formed a ramp to the ground, so it was easier getting down then it was getting up.  
  
Once he made it down, all he could do was collapse into a troubled sleep.  
  
oxxxI======  
  
He awoke late the next morning, feeling like an idiot for letting himself fall asleep like that. He could so easily have died in his sleep, but he guessed that the fact that he didn't, and that he had woken up feeling rested, though still in severe pain, was a good sign.  
  
Now he had to figure out what to do next. He decided to try to make it to the Black Mage Village first. Even if Vivi wasn't there, Mikoto, or at least the other genomes and black mages would be. He could recover there and then find a way to get back to the Mist Continent.  
  
But before that, he needed to decide if he should attempt to treat his wounds, or look for food first. He was weaponless now, so he'd be in trouble if any monsters chose to mess with him. He could just go straight to the Black Mage Village, but he wouldn't be able to get there in a day, and by then, without food and care, he'd probably be too weak to go much farther.  
  
Unfortunately, he didn't know much about this area. If he was going anywhere, it would be best to leave now, and hope he ran into an herb or fruit that was familiar, or at least water. His other choice was to stay and wait in case Dagger or the others came back to get him, but he didn't know how long he had been unconcious. They could already have come and not found him. He had no idea how long it would take for them to show up. At least he knew how long it would take to get to the Black Mage Villige, provided he had enough strength.  
  
With his plan as complete as he could make it at that point, he set off, making slow progress from the Iifa Tree towards the mountain pass that seperated the areas of Madain Sari, the Black Mage Village and Conde Peti, and the Iifa Tree.  
  
Once he got out of the destruction zone around the tree, the geiain() flattened out. It was a blessing and a curse for Zidane in his current state. Flat ground meant better footing, but no more roots to hang on to when he stumbled. By the time he reached the pass, which was, he guessed, a couple hours later, for he had stopped to rest several times, his hands and knees were freshly scraped and bleeding from every time he had fallen.  
  
( Geiain is a word I made up when I noticed that using the word 'terrain' would technically be wrong because Zidane's not on Terra right now, he's on Geia. lol )  
  
He immediately took advantage of the small cliff edges and the roots of the pass that came all the way from the Iifa Tree. The ground was still smooth, so travel was much easier, until he had to start climbing the roots again.  
  
To make matters worse, it was then that the monsters finally noticed the easy prey that had entered their territory. Luckily, Zidane had been expecting this, and had been keeping an eye out for hiding places, so whenever he heard the roar of a monster, or worse, when one leaped out to attack him, he did his best to scramble into the nearest tiny cave formed by roots hanging low over rock and dirt ledges, which was where he was now.  
  
He was not far from the exit, but he was already exhausted from climbing and running, and his ribs and arm were aching unbearably. He had completely forgotten about being hungry. The strain had reopened cuts, and he was losing blood. The weak and wounded genome was curled up rather pitifully in a den-like spot, hoping that no foe would discover him while he rested.  
  
He didn't mean to sleep for so long, but when he woke up he found it was morning. Again, he thanked Geia that he hadn't died in his sleep, but he was also worried to find the floor of the poor excuse for a cave stained with quite a bit of blood which he really needed in his body. He left right away, though still moving slowly. Only one more obstical seperated him from the Black Mage Village. It was the large forest that surrounded it.  
  
It was not as if he was in less pain. He felt just as bad as he had the day before, only not so tired. Still, he had used most of his strength getting through the pass, and, although he hated to admit it because it might mean breaking his promise to Dagger, he honestly didn't know if he could survive in the forest.  
  
He did notice one thing odd. It seemed that there were no monsters anywhere in the forest who wished to harm him. Even still, he could not make it as he was. When he fell, he tried desperately to keep on going, only to collapse again a few paces later. He, Zidane Tribal, who had saved the world only a few days ago, wasn't even able to get through a forest.  
  
He didn't even have the strength or will to catch a tear as it rolled down his cheek. Instead, some how, all he could do was sing. He sang the song he had heard Dagger sing so many times before. It was quiet, barely even a whisper, but it seemed to give him new strength. He was able to stand up, move forward slowly, one step at a time, to find that he was much closer to the village then he thought. He fell once again, just outside the village, but now he was more secure in the hope that someone would find him. Before he lost conciousness, he again silently promised Dagger that he would come back.  
  
oxxxI======  
  
This time he woke up on a bed in a small room, recognizing the style of building from the Black Mage Village. Perhaps one of them had rescued him? His wounds were treated and bandaged as well, and he felt like he had been asleep for a very long time.  
  
Finding no one around, he went outside. There were a few black mages and genomes around, some of whom looked familiar, but he didn't know them by name, or if they all had names, for that matter.  
  
oxxxI====== End FlashBack  
  
Zidane's retelling of the story was interupted by Garnet's gasp of surprise. He was made aware of the reason for her fear when she shouted. "Kuja!"  
  
The silver-haired genome took a step back and held up his hands to show he meant no harm.  
  
Garnet stared back and fourth between her enemy and her love. "Zidane... why is he here?"  
  
Kuja spoke before Zidane could answer. "I apologize for startling you. I was just listening to my brother's story. If you let him finish, you'll find the answers."  
  
Zidane grinned at his 'older brother', noting Garnet's questioning look. "It's alright, Garnet. Let me explain..."  
  
oxxxI====== FlashBack  
  
Zidane walked aimlessly through the small village hoping to run into someone he knew. He spun around suddenly, hearing his name called. He expected to see Vivi or Mikoto, but was instead greeted by none other then Kuja, sitting on a low tree branch, watching him.  
  
He instinctivly reached for his weapon, but then remembered that he was unarmed. "I thought you were dead..."  
  
"So did I." He jumped out of the tree. "Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm the one who saved you."  
  
Zidane relaxed just slightly. "Why?"  
  
Kuja shrugged. "I came here after I woke up. I suppose I was better off then you. I didn't have any trouble. I found you outside the village and thought about what you said when I asked why you came back for me, and I realized the answer was yes. I would do the same for you if you were dying, and I did."  
  
He was mildly suprised. "Is that all?"  
  
"Do I need a reason to help people?"  
  
He smiled faintly. "I guess not, but how do I know this isn't a trap?"  
  
"You're not very trusting of your ex-enemies, are you?" Kuja sighed. "If it means anything, I swear by my life I will not attempt to kill you."  
  
"You've changed."  
  
"Only because of you, Zidane. Thank you."  
  
"So..." Zidane started, breaking the odd moment, for a little while anyway. "Do you know if Vivi or Mikoto is here?"  
  
Kuja sat down beneath the tree. "They're not. according to the black mages, they're staying in Alexandria for a while, helping rebuild, I suppose. They may be back soon. It has been over a week."  
  
"Over a week?!" Zidane was taken aback.  
  
"Six days since I found you, and I woke up four days before that. You were very badly wounded. I expected you to sleep longer, if you ever did wake up."  
  
"Would you have prefered I hadn't?" Zidane asked cautiously.  
  
His brother shook his head. "I was worried about you. You are a very kind person, Zidane. It would be a shame to lose you."  
  
"Um, thanks..."  
  
Needless to say, he was pretty overwhelmed by all that had happened, starting when the Tantalus gang of actors/thieves was hired for what now seemed like a very small, easy mission to kidnap a princess.  
  
If someone had said to Zidane Tribal back then that he would end up saving the world, finally learning about his true origins, fighting one who was practically his older brother, and even falling in love with the princess who he was supposed to kidnap, he would have told them they had been pecked one-too-many times in the head by an angry chocobo. "So... what now?"  
  
"Now you eat, and then you rest."  
  
"Food is a good idea, but since when do you play over-protective big brother?"  
  
Kuja laughed.  
  
oxxxI======  
  
Although Zidane tried to leave the next day, and several times afterward, Kuja, who really did turn out to be an over-protective big brother, kept him in the village because he was still very weak from the Iifa Tree's attack. Kuja wanted him to stay until he had fully recovered, and Zidane reluctantly agreed, hoping that perhaps Mikoto or Vivi would come back and allow him to get in touch with Dagger, but after another ten days, he had grown impatient and sick of cabbin fever.  
  
"Kuja, I'm not going to die just because my arm's still broken! Aside from that, I'm fine!"  
  
"You could very easily die if you weren't able to use a weapon properly." The other genome argued.  
  
"So why don't you come with me to make sure I don't? As soon as I get a boat, it's smooth sailing to Alexandria, litterally."  
  
"I was planning to go with you anyway."  
  
"Great! Let's go now."  
  
Kuja caught his little brother before he could get through the door. "You don't even have a weapon yet."  
  
"I'll get one on the way out. I'm not gonna sit around here any longer when I could be going to see Dagger!" Zidane slipped away from him and outside.  
  
Kuja sighed, but followed. "As determined as ever, I see."  
  
Zidane had lost his weapon, but still had a good amount of gil to buy a new one. He got a Rune Tooth and some healing items before leaving the village. "If Mikoto or Vivi come back, tell them I was here!" he called back to the black mages, excited about finally continuing his journey.  
  
"Where do you plan to get a boat, Zidane?" asked Kuja.  
  
He shrugged. "I was gonna try Conde Pettie. The only other place reachable is the ruins of Madain Sari, and all they have is a little rowboat."  
  
"The dwarves don't seem like the type to like water travel. What if they don't have any?"  
  
"They can help us build one."  
  
"If they don't have any, how will they know how to build one?" Kuja persisted.  
  
"They do have one, but I doupt they'll let us take it. We could probably get them to make a copy if we explain what we need it for. Otherwise, we'll make it ourselves. I know how to build a simple boat."  
  
"You don't let any problem stand in your way, do you?"  
  
Zidane just smiled.  
  
oxxxI======  
  
The trip was much faster now that Zidane had ragained most of his strength, and also wasn't alone.  
  
They reached Conde Petie before sunset, and stayed the night at an inn. In the morning, they started talking to people about their plan. At first, the dwarves were unsure, but after Zidane explained everything, they agreed to help. Word had spread to them of Zidane's heroics, so they offered to work for free.  
  
Still, it was difficult for the dwarves to understand how to build the boat properly. Even with everyone working, it took two weeks to get everything organized, collect the materials needed, and complete the boat.  
  
The moment all the supplies were loaded, Zidane was ready to leave immediately. He and Kuja thanked the dwarves, and set sail.  
  
The boat's shape was based on that of the one kept at Conde Pettie, but quite a bit bigger, and lacking the fancy designs and colors. Zidane didn't mind, though. He was just happy to be so close to getting back to Alexandria and its princess. It had already been a month.  
  
The weeks of work had payed off. The boat, which Zidane named The Silver Dagger, was good and steady. They sailed around the Outer Continent, and headed for the Port of Alexandria. Just a few days later, they were nearing their destination.  
  
"Zidane, wake up!" Kuja called.  
  
They had been taking turns sleeping and steering the Silver Dagger. Zidane yawned and sat up, then his eyes snapped open. "What's going on?!"  
  
Kuja turned to look at him. "What's wrong? I just woke you up because I thought you'd like to know we're almost there." Sure enough, the cliff upon which the city of Alexandria rested was visible through the morning fog. The city was still mostly in ruin from Kuja's attack, but rebuilding was in progress.  
  
But Zidane was more concerned with something else. "Why is there still Mist here?!" He shot Kuja a look of astonishment when he started laughing.  
  
Kuja smiled mischiviously. "What's wrong? It's only harmless natural mist. Havn't you ever seen it before?"  
  
"But... the Mist came from the Iifa Tree. Shouldn't it have gone away by now?"  
  
"Didn't I just tell you it's not that kind of mist? I'm sure you must have seen it before at some point. You just assumed it was Iifa Mist." Kuja explained calmly. "It's only a low-floating cloud."  
  
Zidane stood up and looked around cautiously. "Is it really safe...?"  
  
"It's fine. Stop being such a scaredy, and help me with this sail. The wind's picking up."  
  
And the wind was. High above the mist, the sky was dark with storm clouds.  
  
oxxxI====== End FlashBack  
  
Garnet asked Zidane to stop for a moment while she figured something out. "That was a little over a month after we were seperated... I remember that morning... I saw what happened... I saw you." She bit her lip. "I thought... I hoped it was a dream..."  
  
Zidane listened as Garnet began to tell her part of the story. He felt awful for her having to watch what that storm had done, and wished he had thought of a safer way home...  
  
oxxxI====== FlashBack  
  
Beatrix came to wake up Dagger that morning. "Princess Garnet! I apologize for disturbing you, but you really must see this!"  
  
Dagger had not yet been officially crowned queen. With all the rebuilding, and also the searching for Zidane at the Iifa Tree earlier, there hadn't been much time.  
  
She got out of bed and slipped a simple dress over her nightgown. "What's going on, Beatrix?"  
  
"Look out your window!" Beatrix called, rather excitededly. "Don't worry, Docter Tot says it's diffirent from the Mist, and won't hurt us."  
  
Dagger did as told, staring out across the ocean shrouded in mist. It wasn't as thick as the Mist she was used to. She could also see a storm moving towards them, and a bright rainbow stretched over the water like a colorful ribbon of sunlight, the ends of which dissapeared into the fog. "Wow... I never thought mist could be so beautiful... "  
  
The storm was moving in fast, and Dagger happened to glance down as a gust of wind blew her hair back.  
  
Her eyes widened. "Beatrix... come look..."  
  
Her friend opened the door and came to her side. "What is it, Highness?"  
  
Dagger pointed to what looked like a small ship, or maybe nothing more then a large sail boat. It was heading for the port, struggling against the wind. She could make out two figures, but no features, except that one had long silver hair, and the other was blonde... and she could be wrong, but it seemed as if they both had tails. "Oh Gods..."  
  
Beatrix watched in surprise, and then followed as the princess bolted out the door.  
  
It was early morning, so not many people were in the partially rebuilt castle yet. Dagger ran to the statue that worked as an elevator, going down to the port. She got off in time to see just how swiftly the clouds had covered most of the sky. The boat was being driven toward the port, but far to fast. It wouldn't be able to steer properly, and would crash. In that single moment, a huge wave lifted up the boat and slammed it mercilessly into the cliff. The mast snapped in two like a twig as the rest of the boat was violently shattered into pieces. Someone jumped. Blonde hair, tail, and brillient blue eyes that locked on hers for an instant before another wave swept everything down.  
  
The princess's screams were drowned out by the storm, as Beatrix held her back to keep her from leaping in a desperate attempt to save the one she knew was Zidane.  
  
oxxxI======  
  
The searches at the Iifa Tree were stopped. It was pointless now that she knew Zidane wasn't there.  
  
Queen Garnet Til Alexandros The 17th was crowned three weeks later.  
  
oxxxI====== End FlashBack  
  
"I wanted to believe it wasn't really you, but I knew..."  
  
Zidane stroked her hair soothingly. "Yeah, I remember that..."  
  
At his words, Kuja laughed once, but with no humor. "You mean you do now."  
  
"I must have been unconcious for a while," Zidane continued, not answering Kuja. "Because when I woke up, I couldn't see the Mist Continent at all."  
  
oxxxI====== FlashBack  
  
He found himself floating in what looked like an endless ocean, the moon and stars reflecting off the water. He was tangled in a rope, which in turn was attatched to a large piece of drift wood, which explained why he hadn't drowned.  
  
He pulled himself out of the water, clinging to the wood. It looked like it had been part of a ship, but wasn't much of anything anymore, but at least it had saved his life. The problem was, would he be alive for much longer? He was hungry, thirsty, and cold, and had no idea where he was. Luckily, he didn't seem to be wounded, save for a few bruises and scrapes, and a headache.  
  
So far, all his thoughts and actions had been mostly instinct. Now that he thought about it, not only did he have no clue as to where he was, but he didn't even know who he was, which scared him.  
  
He knew all about the world and life, and he also knew that people were supposed to remember their past, but he didn't. No matter how hard he tried to go back, the first thing he could remember was waking up in the ocean. For all he knew, he didn't even have a past.  
  
He wanted to stay awake incase he found an island or something, but for some reason he just couldn't. He slipped back into unconciousness, draped across the driftwood.  
  
oxxxI======  
  
The sun was not yet up when he came to. He was lying in a circular bed that was more like a giant bird's nest, made with cloth instead of twigs. In fact, the whole room was round, and appeared to be carved out of rock. There was a doorway that he assumed led to the rest of the house, and across from it, faint light shone through a single window.  
  
He walked to the window and froze. It was a scene that could take one's breath away. The room he was in was carved right into the side of a canyon. Far below, he could see a shining, crystal clear river, and all along the sides of the canyon, there were doors and windows of other houses.  
  
the thing that caught his attention most, however, was the dragons.  
  
They were relatively small, not much taller then him, and they were all different colors. There wern't very many of them out right now, probably because it was so early, but he saw two green ones flying near the water, a black one perched on a ledge on the farside of the canyon, and a shimmering purple one that seemed to be flying randomly around just for the fun of it, and then decided to fly directly past the window, so he was able to get a closer look. The dragon's head, wings, and tail resembled those of any other kind of dragon, but it's body was very humanoid, aside from the violet scales.  
  
"So, you're awake."  
  
The owner of the soft, silky voice was another of the dragons. She was silver, with bright blue eyes like his, and a long, flowing mane of pale gold hair running from her head down her neck and back. In spite of her strange looks, he did not feel at all afraid or uncomfertable around her.  
  
"Where am I?" He asked.  
  
"You are in Ryu Valley, hidden in the cliffs and mountains of the southern part of the Forgotten Continent. I found you while I was fishing. This is the home of the Drakki. My name is Nox. May I ask yours?"  
  
He shrugged. "I don't remember my name."  
  
"I see... Then I shall just have to make one up for you." She circled him, looking him up and down. "I think I'll call you... Storm. Is that alright?"  
  
He thought it over. "I don't mind the name, but I hope you're not going to treat me like a pet or anything..."  
  
She smiled. "Don't worry! You're our first guest in ages! Ofcourse, the whole point of our location is to keep outsiders from knowing we exist, but that's beside the point. It can get really boring around here with no connection to the rest of the world!"  
  
"I'm sure it can. I wish I could tell you what's been happening in the rest of the world, but I have no memory of it."  
  
Nox nodded. "Ah... You have the Forgetting Sickness. That's very rare, but I did once meet someone else who had it. It's ussually not permanent."  
  
"It's so strange... It seems as if there are images drifting at the edge of my mind, but when I try to catch them, they vanish..." Storm said, gazing out the window, almost in a daze. "I have a nagging feeling that there's somewhere I should be..."  
  
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get your memory back eventually! You may stay with us until you do, if you want."  
  
"I guess I have to. I couldn't travel across the ocean alone, even if I did know where I was supposed to be going."  
  
The next thing Storm knew, Nox was giving him a tour of Ryu Valley. They ran into her half-sister, Felisha, who's colors were similer to Nox's, but her face was not as elongated, looking almost human, and instead of actual scales, she had skin. Nox explained that occassionally humans and other outsiders would find their way to the valley by chance, which was how Felisha's father had come here, and was also the reason they could speak the same language, which Storm had been wondering about.  
  
The canyon was not as big as Storm originally thought, but big enough to hold a medium sized village in it's walls. The houses were connected either by tunnels through the cliff itself, or by walkways along the side. There was a long rope and wood bridge connecting the walls of the canyon, but it wasn't used much. Afterall, the drakki, which Nox told Storm was plural for the word drakko, could fly.  
  
After touring the village, Nox took Storm back to her house, with Felisha following just because she had nothing better to do, and the two half-sisters got lunch ready. The drakki diets were made up mostly of the fish they caught from the river, and some plants and herbs that grew nearby.  
  
Storm was served baked fish seasoned with a mild, salty spice, with some sort of herb on the side. He had to admit, Nox and Felisha were very good cooks.  
  
oxxxI======  
  
That night, Storm lay curled up in the nest-like bed, contemplating his situation. Some say ignorence is bliss, but this kind of ignorence just left him confused. With that thought in mind, he drifted into slumber, and dreamed.  
  
He saw a floating ship crashing through forest,  
  
Then the trees were turned to stone.  
  
Darkness, except for a single glowing eye.  
  
He saw a village built into a huge tree with a sandstorm swirling around it,  
  
Then a man on a six-legged horse destroyed that village.  
  
The eye flashed through his mind again.  
  
He saw a city being attacked by a dragon,  
  
Then the dragon was fighting a giant creature with white-feathered wings.  
  
The eye appeared above the city.  
  
He saw a girl standing in the ruins of the city.  
  
Then she cut her hair with a dagger.  
  
He saw a man riding a silver dragon.  
  
Then he saw the girl again.  
  
To his horror, the dragon ripped her to shreds.  
  
Storm sat bolt upright, gasping. He tried to calm himself, realizing it was only a dream, and looked out the window. The sky was still black, with it's millions of tiny stars as the only source of light. Storm sighed and lay back in the nest. He slept the rest of the night untroubled.  
  
oxxxI======  
  
Time passed. Day upon day, night upon night, until Storm stopped counting. This far south, with the canyon walls and cliffs sheltering the village, the seasons didn't really mean much. Living with Nox and Felisha, Storm didn't know whether two months had passed, or two years. The drakki didn't seem to care at all about keeping track of time, and so Storm's confusion grew. He still hadn't regained any memories prier to meeting Nox, but he believed that nightmare, which continued to plague him every once in a while, had something to do with his past.  
  
He had told the drakki half-sisters about it long ago, but all they had to offer on the subject was that the dream he described was 'pretty creepy', and that it was so detailed, he was probably right about it being memories. The problem was, whenever Storm tried to picture the images more cleary, hoping to remember other things, they would slip away from him.  
  
Then it happened. One day, Storm and Felisha were walking by the narrowest part of the river, picking herbs, when Felisha shouted and pointed to the far bank. "Storm, look at that!" She jumped into the air before he could stop her and flew across, circling once before returning. "There's a body over there, with a tail like yours!"  
  
Storm gaped, but had no time to do anything else, because Felisha proceeded to grap him and fly/drag him across the water. She landed and ran to the body. "Come on, Storm! If they're alive, you might be able to find out where you came from!"  
  
They knelt down beside the body and rolled it over. It was a man with long, silver hair, and, as Felisha had said, a tail. The man looked strangely familiar to Storm, but he couldn't place the memory.  
  
Felisha laid one frilled ear over the man's chest and listened. "His heart's still beat-eeaaahh!" She had looked up, and then jumped back in surprise.  
  
The man had not moved, but his blue eyes were now open and focused on her, though they looked slightly dazed. "Wh...Who are you...?"  
  
The dragon girl edged closer. "My name's Felisha... Are you ok?" But even as she asked, the man slid back into unconciousness. She turned to Storm. "Go find Nox. I can't carry him all the way home by myself."  
  
"Right." Storm nodded and ran toward the walkway that led up the cliff.  
  
oxxxI======  
  
The stranger was not severly wounded, save for a nasty cut on the back of his head, but it was nothing fatal. The real problem was that he had a very bad fever, and was delirious.  
  
At first, Storm helped to look after him a lot, but in his sleep he kept muttering about merging Gaia and some place called Terra, and he mentioned the name 'Zidane' several times. For some reason, Storm got the idea that whatever the strange man was dreaming about somehow involved him, though the only thing they seemed to have in common was that they were the same species.  
  
It was all very confusing for Storm, and he didn't like being confused when he wasn't sure why he was confused.  
  
Nox and Felisha helped to distract him, though. Mostly Nox, because Felisha knew the most about healing, so it was her job to take care of the sick stranger.  
  
The silver-haired man did not gain conciousness for several days, and in that time, Storm was again plagued by nightmares. Usually the same one he had dreamed before, or varations of it. To his surprise, he recognized one of the people in the nightmare. The sleeping stranger was the man riding the silver dragon. He was sure of it.  
  
Nox and Felisha were very excited when he told them this.  
  
"That means you must have known him before! When he wakes up he can help you remember!" Nox exclaimed. "Isn't this great, Storm?"  
  
Felisha cut in. "He should regain conciousness soon. He's doing much better then he was before. He's gotten so thin and pale that for a while I thought he was gonna die! We'll have to make a feast for him when he's strong enough, Nox. I'm sure he'll be starving."  
  
oxxx======  
  
The next day, he did in fact finally awaken.  
  
Felisha had to go help Nox fish, leaving Storm in charge for a little while, and by some coincidence, the stranger came to only a few minutes after the drakki half-sisters had left.  
  
Storm was standing near the bed, with his back against the wall. First, Storm saw the stranger's tail flicking weakly. The mysterious sky-colored eyes gazed up at the ceiling for a few moments, and then he noticed Storm and stared. "Zidane... Where are we?" His voice and expression were a mix of different emotions, but mostly he just seemed very tired.  
  
Storm watched the other curiously. "Um, we're in Ryu Valley. Is... Zidane my name? Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Kuja... What's wrong, Zidane...?" The stranger, Kuja, asked in a shakey voice.  
  
"I'm sorry, Kuja." Storm replied, frowning. "I'm afraid I don't remember anything before I came here. Is Zidane really my name?"  
  
Kuja was obviously dissapointed, but to weak to try to explain everything to him just now. "Yes..."  
  
Storm was taken aback, and when he did not reply, Kuja took the chance to fall asleep again.  
  
oxxxI======  
  
It was still a while before Kuja was able to do much more then lie in bed all day. Storm, or Zidane, as Kuja insisted on calling him, was kept busy helping Nox and Felisha because now that Kuja was concious, Felisha had even more work to do taking care of him.  
  
Kuja would often mention names or events, trying to trigger Zidane's memory, but he refused to tell much. He didn't want Zidane to just go by what he had been told about his past. He wanted his brother to remember it for himself. For that, Kuja believed that he needed some measure of curiousity, so every time Zidane asked, begged, or tried to trick Kuja into telling him the whole story, Kuja would notice.  
  
It even became like a friendly competition. Zidane trying to catch Kuja off gaurd with sudden questions to see just how much information he could get out of Kuja before the silver-haired genome saw through what he was doing.  
  
They laughed and joked about their game, but Kuja was dissapointed that Zidane still truly remembered very little.  
  
There were many small improvements, however. One of the first of these being that Zidane told everyone to stop calling him Storm, because the name Kuja called him just felt right.  
  
Still, even after Kuja had fully recovered, they remained living with the drakki sisters. At first Kuja kept track of the days, but he lost count at three months. Zidane's memory was in fact returning bit by bit, but over such a long period of time that it was hard to notice.  
  
The four people living in the house carved into a cliff fell back into a rythm, days seeming to merge together in a repeating pattern. Even the resistent Kuja eventually became trapped in it. He and Felisha spent most of their time together, fishing or going for walks along the river or the cliff ledges. Nox and Zidane loved to tease them about what an odd, but adorable couple they made.  
  
Kuja even said once jokingly that he couldn't believe he of all people had fallen in love. With a dragon girl, no less! Then the other two laughed as Felisha swatted him playfully over the head and asked what was wrong with loving a dragon girl? When Kuja replied by kissing her hand and saying nothing was wrong with it, Zidane and Nox clapped and cheered.  
  
Life in Ryu Valley continued like this for what seemed like years. Kuja and Felisha actually became serious about their relationship, while Zidane and Nox were simply the best of friends. But all was changed again when Zidane recovered a new memory one morning...  
  
oxxx======  
  
From the moment he opened his eyes, the memory was sharp in his mind. He didn't know if he had dreamed it, or simply remembered as he woke up, but it didn't really matter. This was importent. You see, as conciousness had slid back to him, it carried the bright, clear image of a young women with short dark hair and brown eyes so deep they seemed to pierce his very soul. With this image came a promise. "I will return to you alive..." and a name. "Dagger." And the moment he heard the sound of his own voice speaking that name, memories of his time with this girl came flying back to him. One memory linking to another until not only did he remember every second that he had spent with her, but he also recalled everything leading up to it. His entire life chained together in such clear, emotional images that he found himself crying.  
  
He wiped the tears away and left his room to join the others for breakfast. It was the usual fish with herbs and a few vegatables that he had long ago gotten used to. He ate quietly, but couldn't keep Kuja from noticing his smile. The kind of smile that says teasingly, 'I know something you don't know...' He was so excited!  
  
Kuja cocked his head to the side, chewing on a carrot. Felisha always said he looked like a rabbit when he did this, but this time she also seemed to notice something different going on.  
  
The blonde genome looked to see all three watching him. His knowing smile changed to one of determination as he spoke calmly to Kuja. "I suppose we'll have to build another boat, seeing as how I still need to fulfill my promise to Dagger."  
  
Unlike the two drakki, who watched their friend in puzzlement, Kuja stared at his brother in complete surprise.  
  
"Since we've done it before when we built the Silver Dagger in Conde Pettie," he continued, seeing as Kuja was to stunned to say anything. "it shouldn't be to hard, right?" He was really enjoying this.  
  
"Excuse me, but what are you talking about?" Nox asked.  
  
"You're not going away, are you?" Felisha piped up.  
  
"Zidane... Brother... you remember?" Still in shock, Kuja's voice was barely above a whisper.  
  
Nox stood up. "What? Are you saying Zidane has his memories back?!" She questioned excitedly.  
  
Zidane sent Kuja a look, and Kuja, reading it perfectly, nodded once, not to Nox, but in answer to Zidane's silent question.  
  
Zidane stood and placed a hand on his hip, the smile having never left his face. "Felisha, Nox, I'm afraid Kuja and I shall be leaving Ryu Valley soon. A long time ago, I swore to a beautiful princess that I would come back to her one day, and I will not break that vow. Since you have no boats here, I plan to build one, hopefully with your help." He noticed the way Felisha was looking at Kuja worriedly. "And, if my brother doesn't mind, you may come with us and stay in the city of Alexandria for a while." He could barely contain his joy even as he spoke these words. He was going home!  
  
"Of course I don't mind." Kuja stated, and caught Felisha as she leaped forward to embrace him.  
  
"Woohoo! To Alexandria we go!"  
  
oxxxI======  
  
With several drakki besides the half-sisters helping, it took less then a week to complete the large boat. It was very similer to the one Zidane and Kuja had build with the dwarves at Conde Pettie, and was just as fast.  
  
In the end, Nox decided to stay in the canyon, but Felisha left with Zidane and Kuja without a second thought, telling her sister that of course she'd come back in a little while, but she wanted to go with Kuja for now.  
  
They set sail even before the sun rose on the day after they had finished the boat. The pale sky was alight with enchanting pastel colors, just as Zidane's heart was alight with hope.  
  
Felisha was thrilled at finally getting to ride a boat, which previously she had only heard about in stories. She spent most of the first day with Kuja, at the very front of the boat, loving the way the wind blew her golden hair back, and tangled it with Kuja's long, silver locks when he stood beside her.  
  
Before the end of the first day at sea, they spotted another ship. It was much larger then their little one, and, to Zidane's great joy, the sail bore the seal of Alexandria. It was a trading ship, and seemed to be coming from the direction of the Outer Contenent. Kuja said that it must have been trading with Conde Pettie or the Black Mage Village.  
  
As they got closer, the Alexandria ship started to turn towards them. They could barely make out the figures of people waving at them. Had someone seen them through a telescope and recognized them?  
  
They let the ship come to them, and soon they were close enough for Zidane to see clearly who had indeed recognized them. "MIKOTO!!!" He shouted and waved gleefully.  
  
First, as the ship stopped beside them, a thick rope was thrown down, and they were instructed to tie one end to their boat, leaving enough slack for the ship to pull it along without it hitting the side. Next, a rope ladder was lowered, and Zidane and Kuja climbed one at a time up to the ship. Felisha flew up instead, surprising the crew.  
  
Zidane laughed as Mikoto came running, and caught the other genome in a friendly hug. Felisha watched them curiously, commenting on how odd it was that Mikoto looked exactly like a female version of Zidane.  
  
Zidane told her that if she was this surprised about Mikoto alone, she should see all the other genomes. Then, tail twitching side to side excitedly, he summerized for Mikoto and her crew the basics of what had happened, and also explained who and what Felisha was so they wouldn't be frightened.  
  
When he was done, Mikoto hugged him again, and said without thinking it would effect him, "I can't believe your alive after two years!"  
  
He felt his heart jerk with a sudden pain. "It's been two years?" He asked, his blue eyes searching hers for truth. How could he have been away from Dagger for so long! She must be so upset with him...  
  
Mikoto nodded. "Well, almost two years. In about a week, the Tantalus group is putting on a performance to celebrate the two year annaversary of the day you saved the world. I'm taking this ship back now so I won't miss it. I assume you want to come, seeing as that was obviously your destination in the first place?"  
  
Zidane nodded vigerously. "Of course! Um, what play is Tantalus performing?"  
  
"I Want To Be Your Canary." Mikoto answered simply.  
  
"Excelent..."  
  
oxxxI====== End FlashBack  
  
"So of course the Tantalus group let me take the part of Marcus, even though it was such short notice. I already knew the entire play by heart. And the rest you know..."  
  
Dagger was now lying with her head in Zidane's lap, his hand softly stroking her long hair. As he finished the story, she opened her eyes, noticing for the first time that they had ended up gathering another, if much smaller, audience.  
  
All their friends; Steiner, Beatrix, Vivi, Eiko, Freya, Quina, and Amarant; were sitting and standing on or against the wall, and Felisha was perched next to Kuja.  
  
Dagger, finding herself in a very trainqual and peaceful mood, just smiled at them.  
  
Zidane grinned and waved. "It's great to see you guys, and I'm glad you found my story worth listening to, but if ya don't mind..."  
  
They all laughed and smiled, but followed their friend's unspoken request and left him alone with the queen.  
  
"Well... Garnet?"  
  
The summoner sat up, her eyes not leaving him. "I missed you and suffered desperately for two years, but the past can't be changed. We're still young, and we're together, and nothing has the power to tear me away from you for very long... So yes, Zidane Tribal, I forgive you. I forgave you the moment you threw that cape off and called my name on the stage...  
  
Just one thing. Don't call me Garnet." She winked.  
  
Zidane climbed to his feet, helping her up, and they stood looking into eachother's eyes as he repeated softly the words he had spoken at the end of the play. "As the sun lends me no ear, I pray instead to the twin moons. Grant me my only wish. Bring my beloved Dagger to me!"  
  
She practically fell forward, dark hair flying, and embraced him tightly. "I'm here, my love."  
  
They held eachother as the sky blazed with the rainbow fires of the sunset, signaling the end of the most wonderful day either of them could ever remember.  
  
oxxxI======  
  
Sitting in a tree branch not far away, a man with long silver hair and a tail clapped his hands together three times.  
  
The beautiful drakko girl sitting next to him smiled. "Hey, Kuja? Why did Dagger's song help Zidane, anyway?"  
  
"What is Dagger?"  
  
"Zidane's love?"  
  
"And?"  
  
"The Queen of Alexandria?"  
  
"And?"  
  
"A summoner?"  
  
Kuja smiled and nodded.  
  
"So it's a summoner's song?"  
  
"Yes. Zidane is not a summoner, so he can not summon eidolons directly, but he could catch their attention by singing the summoner's song. My guess is they saw what was happening and so sent Zidane enough energy to get him through the forest." Kuja explained.  
  
"Wow... So it really is all thanks to that song..."  
  
"You could say that." He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, above her folded wings. "Well, I guess all I can say now is mission accomplished."  
  
xxxx((================ The End  
  
All characters in this story belong to Square Soft except for Nox and Felisha who belong to me and my best friend, Aurora. 


End file.
